Creamy Cloud Eclairs

SERVES: 12

CHILL TIME: 1 Hr

COOK TIME: 40 Min

If you crave clouds of creamy filling in your eclairs, then you're going to love these Creamy Cloud Eclairs. These made-from-scratch eclairs are fluffy, light, and absolutely heavenly.

What You'll Need

1 cup water
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into quarters
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (1 pint) heavy cream
1 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, divided
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoons milk

What to Do

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir quickly with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a ball; remove from heat.
Add 1 egg to mixture and beat hard with a wooden spoon to blend. Add remaining eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. (Each egg must be completely blended before the next egg is added. While beating dough, its consistency will change from looking almost curdled to smooth.) When dough is smooth, spoon it into a large resealable plastic bag and using scissors, snip off one corner of bag, making a 1-inch-wide cut. Gently squeeze bag to form twelve 1- x 4-inch dough logs about 2 inches apart on ungreased large rimmed baking sheets.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden and puffy. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
In a large bowl, beat cream and 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. In a small bowl, stir together remaining confectioners' sugar, the cocoa, and milk to make a smooth icing.
Cut eclair shells in half horizontally and spoon whipped cream equally into bottom of each. Replace tops of eclair shells and spread icing over tops. Cover loosely and chill at least 1 hour before serving.